Saint Laurent Takes It Back to the 80s for Fall

If you already hate Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent bags, get ready to have another rage blackout!

We got on Hedi’s case a few months ago for the Birkin-aping Sac Du Jour, and for Fall 2013, Slimane is back with some more bags that are not-so-loosely based on handbag history. This time, it’s the Saint Laurent Cassandre Bags, which may or may not cause visions of vintage Chanel totes to dance in your head. In particular, the bags might remind you of the celeb-favorite Chanel Caviar Jumbo XL Weekender Tote, which is a highly sought vintage piece that has the same partially-chain double handles and flip-over logo closure as the Saint Laurent Cassandre Shoppers, both quilted and non. (And, it must be said, quilting has never made anything look less Chanel. It’s not a design feature you add if you’re trying to distance yourself from Chanel’s aesthetic.)

The line also boasts a shoulder bag with a flap top and logo closure, this one with the same diagonal quilts as the beige shopper. The design clearly mines the same 80s material that Chanel has taken to referencing recently, except that the material was, you know, actually created by Chanel back in the 80s. Rummaging through your own archive is quite different from rummaging through that of another brand.

That’s not to say that these bags are unattractive, of course. They’re attractive for the same reason that the original bags are getting a second look from both luxury vintage shoppers and Chanel’s accessory department alike: they reference a very specific period of time in fashion that’s very trendy among nostalgia-seekers at the moment. If I were you, though, I’d keep a lookout for the Chanel version, either secondhand or referenced in a new bag.